Premier League: Marcus Rashford scores his 100th goal for Manchester United; lifts lid on last season’s struggles

Manchester United registered a very close 1-0 win over West Ham United as Marcus Rashford scored a towering header which was all the difference between the two teams. It was also a special occasion for Rashford as the solitary goal in the game was his 100th for the Red Devils. 

With this win, Manchester United have climbed to the fifth spot in the Premier League standings. It was a great goal as Rashford scored his seventh goal of the season. This has to be a redemption run for the talented forward as he was struggling to find the next in the 2021-22 season and his future at Old Trafford was under scrutiny. It was a challenging period for him as he struggled for goals and went through a very bad phase. 

“It’s a complete different energy around the club and the training ground,” Rashford told Sky Sports. “That puts me in a better headspace and I just feel really motivated now. That’s the area I was struggling in.”

Rashford shared how the bad patch was very concerning for him. More than things on the pitch it was the outside noise that affected him and he thinks that’s the biggest difference from last season to this season. “I was struggling at times with more mental things. It wasn’t really my own performance but other things off the pitch. That’s the biggest difference from last season,” Rashford highlighted. 

The England international shared how he was not at the right headspace and hence things did not work out for him last season. He highlighted how being in the right space of mind is important for the athletes and as he wasn’t, whatever happened on the pitch as it’s repercussions did not shock him. 

“I get that it’s your job to speak about what happens on the pitch but for the players we have to get into the right headspace for every game,” Rashford pointed out. “Too often last season, I wasn’t in the right headspace for games. I wasn’t surprised by some of the stuff that was happening.”

Coming back to the goal that proved to be the difference between Manchester United and West Ham was a very neat move from two of United’s most crafty midfielders. It was a great one-two from Bruno Fernandes and Christian Eriksen right at the edge of the box. Then the latter whipped in a delicious ball which was attacked by Rashford as he headed it home to score his 100th goal for the club. 

The win takes Manchester United to the 5th spot and they are only a point behind Newcastle United at fourth with a match in hand. Ther Red Devils will next face Real Sociedad in the Europa League in a top of the table clash whereas they will take on Aston Villa in the Premier League in a bid to enter the top four spots.